Dovery Manor Museum

04/05/2026

Our wonderful volunteers have been busy working in the museum garden, getting it ready for Open Gardens.

We have added to our 'Porlock' named plants and now have a Porlock Broom and a Porlock Parahebe in addition to the Porlock Pippin apple tree. We hope to add more in due course.

We are very grateful to Gill Campbell who has volunteered her stone-walling skills to repair the wall along one of the garden paths. Thank you Gill.

The garden is open every day so do have a wander round next time you are at the museum.

01/05/2026

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝘀𝘁!

This year, we are celebrating the fascinating history and rich wildlife of Porlock Marsh.

Thirty years ago, a catastrophic winter storm breached the shingle ridge, inundating the marsh and changing it for ever.

Over the previous decade, the marsh had been at the heart of a national debate: could such fragile habitats ever be saved from the rising sea levels?

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮’𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙖 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙀𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 – ‘𝙋𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚.’

🏛️ The museum is open daily from 10am until 4pm (except Wednesdays).

🎟️ Entrance FREE — donations always appreciated.

🌐 And to discover even more about Porlock’s inspiring history, 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙬𝙚𝙗𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚:
𝙬𝙬𝙬.𝙙𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢.𝙤𝙧𝙜.𝙪𝙠

01/05/2026

30/04/2026

The museum was packed last night for the 'invitation only' preview of our new summer exhibition, 'Porlock Marsh and Ridge,' celebrating the long and fascinating history and rich wildlife of the Marsh.

It was our chance to say thank you to all those who support us in so many ways; our stewards, our garden volunteers and, of course, our wonderful Friends of the Museum.

We were also able to thank several organisations who have helped make this exhibition possible; the Exmoor National Park Authority, the Exmoor Society and the Exmoor Natural History Society.

The exhibition opens tomorrow, Friday May 1st.
The museum is open daily from 10am until 4pm (closed Wednesdays). Entrance is free but donations are greatly appreciated.

28/04/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲?

Sadly, it was yet another victim of the catastrophic storms that, over the last century, have breached the protecting shingle ridge, flooding Porlock Marsh.

𝑫𝙞𝒔𝙘𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙧 𝙩𝒉𝙚 𝙛𝒖𝙡𝒍 𝒔𝙩𝒐𝙧𝒚 in our latest Museum Monthly post – Porlock's Doomed Golf Course https://doverymanormuseum.org.uk/porlocks-doomed-golf-course

And to find out more about the full, rich history of the marsh, 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙀𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢 – ‘Porlock Marsh and Ridge’ that opens this Friday - May 1st.

‘Porlock Marsh and Ridge’
Opening Friday 1 May

🕙 Open daily 10am–4pm (closed Wednesdays)
🎟️ Free entry — donations warmly appreciated

Visit Somerset Exmoor National Park Exmoor Society National Trust Holnicote

07/03/2026

Does anyone have any old photos of this wonderful oak tree on the shingle ridge at Porlockford? This photo, taken in 2009, shows how far the ridge has moved inland in just 17 years. Does anyone have any older photos, showing the tree surrounded by grass? The Dovery Manor Museum is researching a summer exhibition celebrating Porlock Marsh, 30 years after the final breach in October 1996.

15/02/2026

We were thrilled and overwhelmed at the response to our exhibition of archive photographs at the village hall yesterday.

We asked for your help in identifying the contents of some old photos from the museum archives and you responded wholeheartedly.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your memories with us. We learned so much, and it will all help to enrich the value of the museum contents and preserve those memories for future generations.

We hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did.

13/02/2026

📸 Frozen in time… 📸

This photograph was taken at the foot of Parsons Street on Coronation Day, 3rd June 1953. Flags were flying, crowds were gathering and history was unfolding - but who are the people caught in this fleeting moment?

This is just one of dozens of fascinating photographs recently rediscovered in our museum archive and for one day only, we’re bringing them out into the light.

✨ Join us TOMORROW, Saturday 14th February, at Porlock Village Hall to explore these images and help us identify the people, places and stories behind them. You might spot a neighbour, a relative… or even yourself.

🕙 Saturday 14th February, 10am–4pm
📍 Porlock Village Hall
🎟️ Free entry
☕ Refreshments provided

We’d love you to drop in, reminisce, and help us piece together Porlock’s past. Please share — you never know who might recognise someone!

11/02/2026

Now, who is this charming milkmaid, posing on her milk rounds? There’s a suggestion that she’s connected to Birchanger Fram, above Porlock Weir. Can anyone tell us more?

This photograph is just another of the dozens of fascinating images recently discovered in our museum archive. For one day only - on Saturday February 14th - they will be on show at Porlock Village Hall.

We’d love you to drop in and help us identify the people, places and dates captured in them.

📍 Porlock Village Hall
🗓 Saturday 14th February
⏰ 10am–4pm
🎟 Free entry
☕ Refreshments provided

See you there!

08/02/2026

🎸 We Will Rock You, Porlock! 🎤

Do you remember Porlock’s very own Queen tribute band? Did these legends rock you back in 2002? Who was channeling Freddie Mercury on this Porlock Carnival float over 20 years ago… and could that really be Brian May? 👀

This brilliant photograph is just one of dozens of fascinating images recently uncovered in our museum archive. For one day only, we’re bringing them out into the light at Porlock Village Hall — and we need your help to tell their stories.

📸 Archive Photo Discovery Day
🗓 Saturday 14th February
⏰ 10am – 4pm
📍 Porlock Village Hall

Drop in, have a look, and help us identify the people, places, and moments captured in these wonderful photographs from Porlock’s past.

✨ Free entry
☕ Refreshments provided

Whether you recognise a face, remember an event, or just fancy a nostalgic browse, we’d love to see you there. Please do share — someone you know might be in the pictures!